Swedish world record holder Sarah Sjostrom will not be racing at the 2026 SC World Championships in Beijing at the end of the year.
Media outlets in Sweden report that Sjostrom’s coach Antonio Lutula has stated that Sjostrom would not be competing to focus on training and recovery.
Sjostrom, who turned 33 in August, returned in April at the Malmsten Swim Open in Stockholm after she took 2025 off to have a baby. Her son Adrian was born in August 2025, and she was back racing eight months later.
She had a phenomenal season, that saw her win a gold and silver medal at the 2026 European Championships, taking gold in the 50 fly with her 25.05 and silver in the 50 free at 23.86.
Her season best 50 free time of 23.83 was the 3rd fastest time in the world last year, only behind the American duo of Kate Douglass, who broke the world record in 23.19, and Gretchen Walsh (23.55).
Her season best 50 fly time of 25.05 also ranked 3rd in the world, again only behind Gretchen Walsh (24.51) and Kate Douglass (24.99). The 50 fly is Sjostrom’s only remaining world record after her 50 free and 100 free world records were broken earlier this year.
Lutula told Radiosporten “When you’ve been around as long as Sarah, balance becomes more important. Then sometimes you have periods are are a little more emphasized by recovery and build-up training.”
Sjostrom’s last SC World Championships came in December of 2021 where she won three gold medals, three silver medals, and a bronze medal.
